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Technical information:  (202) 691-6378        USDL 08-0092
               http://www.bls.gov/cps/
                                              For release:  10:00 A.M. EST
Media contact:          (202) 691-5902        Friday, January 25, 2008


                           UNION MEMBERS IN 2007


   In 2007, the number of workers belonging to a union rose by 311,000 to
15.7 million, the U.S. Department of Labor's Bureau of Labor Statistics
reported today.  Union members accounted for 12.1 percent of employed wage
and salary workers, essentially unchanged from 12.0 percent in 2006.  In
1983, the first year for which comparable union data are available, the
union membership rate was 20.1 percent.  Some highlights from the 2007 
data are:

   --Workers in the public sector had a union membership rate nearly five
     times that of private sector employees.

   --Education, training, and library occupations had the highest unioniz-
     ation rate among all occupations, at 37.2 percent, followed closely
     by protective service occupations at 35.2 percent.

   --Among demographic groups, the union membership rate was highest for
     black men and lowest for Hispanic women.

   --Wage and salary workers ages 45 to 54 (15.7 percent) and ages 55 to
     64 (16.1 percent) were more likely to be union members than were
     workers ages 16 to 24 (4.8 percent).

Membership by Industry and Occupation

   The union membership rate for public sector workers (35.9 percent)
was substantially higher than for private industry workers (7.5 percent).
Within the public sector, local government workers had the highest union
membership rate, 41.8 percent.  This group includes many workers in several
heavily unionized occupations, such as teachers, police officers, and fire
fighters.  Private sector industries with high unionization rates include 
transportation and utilities (22.1 percent), telecommunications (19.7 per-
cent), and construction (13.9 percent).  In 2007, unionization rates were 
relatively low in agriculture and related industries (1.5 percent) and in
financial activities (2.0 percent).  (See table 3.)

   Among occupational groups, education, training, and library occupations
(37.2 percent) and protective service occupations (35.2 percent) had the
highest unionization rates in 2007.  Farming, fishing, and forestry occupa-
tions (2.7 percent) and sales and related occupations (3.3 percent) had the
lowest unionization rates.  (See table 3.)

Demographic Characteristics of Union Members

   In 2007, the union membership rate was higher for men (13.0 percent)
than for women (11.1 percent).  (See table 1.)  The gap between their rates
has narrowed considerably since 1983, when the rate for men was about 10 per-
centage points higher than the rate for women.  The rates for both men and
women declined between 1983 and 2007, but the rate for men declined much more
rapidly.

   Black workers were more likely to be union members (14.3 percent) than 
were whites (11.8 percent), Asians (10.9 percent), or Hispanics (9.8 percent).
Within these major groups, black men had the highest union membership rate
(15.8 percent) while Hispanic women had the lowest rate (9.6 percent).

   Among age groups, union membership rates were highest among workers 55 to
64 years old (16.1 percent) and 45 to 54 years old (15.7 percent).  The low-
est union membership rates occurred among those ages 16 to 24 (4.8 percent).
Full-time workers were about twice as likely as part-time workers to be union
members, 13.2 compared with 6.5 percent.  (See table 1.)

Union Representation of Nonmembers

   About 1.6 million wage and salary workers were represented by a union on
their main job in 2007, while not being union members themselves.  (See
table 1.)  Slightly more than half of these workers were employed in 
government.  (See table 3.)

Earnings

   In 2007, among full-time wage and salary workers, union members had median
usual weekly earnings of $863 while those who were not represented by unions
had median weekly earnings of $663.  (See table 2.)  The difference reflects a
variety of influences in addition to coverage by a collective bargaining agree-
ment, including variations in the distributions of union members and nonunion 
employees by occupation, industry, firm size, or geographic region.  (For a 
discussion of the problem of differentiating between the influence of unioniz-
ation status and the influence of other worker characteristics on employee
earnings, see "Measuring union-nonunion earnings differences," Monthly Labor
Review, June 1990.)


                                   - 2 -

Union Membership by State

   In 2007, 30 states and the District of Columbia had union membership rates
below that of the U.S. average, 12.1 percent, while 20 states had higher rates.
All states in the Middle Atlantic and Pacific divisions reported union member-
ship rates above the national average and all states in the East South Central
and West South Central divisions had rates below it.  Union membership rates
were down from those of 2006 in 27 states, up in 20 states, and unchanged in
3 states and the District of Columbia.  (See table 5.)
   
   Among the five states reporting union membership rates below 5.0 percent
in 2007, North Carolina posted the lowest rate (3.0 percent).  The next low-
est rates were recorded in Virginia (3.7 percent), South Carolina (4.1 per-
cent), Georgia (4.4 percent), and Texas (4.7 percent).  Four states had union
membership rates over 20.0 percent in 2007--New York (25.2 percent), Alaska
(23.8 percent), Hawaii (23.4 percent), and Washington (20.2 percent).

   The largest numbers of union members lived in California (2.5 million) and
New York (2.1 million).  Nearly half (7.8 million) of the 15.7 million union
members in the U.S. lived in 6 states (California, 2.5 million; New York,
2.1 million; Illinois, 0.8 million; Michigan, 0.8 million; Pennsylvania,
0.8 million; and New Jersey, 0.7 million) though these states accounted for
only about one-third of wage and salary employment nationally.
   
   State union membership levels depend on both the employment level and
union membership rate.  Texas had less than one-quarter as many union mem-
bers as New York despite having over 1.7 million more wage and salary employ-
ees.  Similarly, Tennessee and Hawaii had comparable numbers of union members
even though Tennessee�s wage and salary employment level was more than four
and one-half times that of Hawaii.





                                      - 3 -



Technical Note

   The estimates in this release are obtained from the Current Population
Survey (CPS), which provides basic information on the labor force, employ-
ment, and unemployment.  The survey is conducted monthly for the Bureau of
Labor Statistics by the U.S. Census Bureau from a scientifically selected
national sample of about 60,000 households.  The union membership and earn-
ings data are tabulated from one-quarter of the CPS monthly sample and are
limited to wage and salary workers.  All self-employed workers are excluded.
The data in this release are annual averages.

   Union membership data for 2007 are not strictly comparable with data
for 2006 and earlier years because of the introduction of updated popula-
tion controls with the release of January data.  The effect of the revised
population controls on the union membership estimates is unknown.  However,
the effect of the new controls on the monthly CPS estimates was to increase
the December 2006 employment level by 153,000 and the unemployment level by
10,000.  The updated controls had little or no effect on unemployment rates
and other ratios.  For additional information, see "Adjustments to Household
Survey Population Estimates in January 2007" in the February 2007 issue of
Employment and Earnings, available on the Internet at http://www.bls.gov/
cps/cps07adj.pdf.

   Information in this release will be made available to sensory impaired
individuals upon request.  Voice phone: (202) 691-5200, TDD message referral
phone number: 1-800-877-8339.

Reliability of the estimates

   Statistics based on the CPS are subject to both sampling and nonsampling
error.  When a sample, rather than the entire population, is surveyed, there
is a chance that the sample estimates may differ from the "true" population
values they represent.  The exact difference, or sampling error, varies de-
pending upon the particular sample selected, and this variability is measured
by the standard error of the estimate.  There is about a 90-percent chance,
or level of confidence, that an estimate based on a sample will differ by no
more than 1.6 standard errors from the "true" population value because of
sampling error.  BLS analyses are generally conducted at the 90-percent level
of confidence.  The state section of this release preserves the long-time 
practice of highlighting the direction of the movements in state union mem-
bership rates and levels regardless of their statistical significance.

   The CPS data also are affected by nonsampling error.  Nonsampling error
can occur for many reasons, including the failure to sample a segment of 
the population, inability to obtain information for all respondents in the
sample, inability or unwillingness of respondents to provide correct infor-
mation, and errors made in the collection or processing of the data.

   For a full discussion of the reliability of data from the CPS and infor-
mation on estimating standard errors, see the Household Data section of the
"Explanatory Notes and Estimates of Error" at http://www.bls.gov/cps/eetech_
methods.pdf.



                                  - 4 -

Definitions

   The principal definitions used in this release are described briefly below.

   Union members.  Data refer to members of a labor union or an employee 
association similar to a union.

   Represented by unions.  Data refer to union members, as well as workers who
have no union affiliation but whose jobs are covered by a union or an employee
association contract.

   Usual weekly earnings.  Data represent earnings before taxes and other deduc-
tions and include any overtime pay, commissions, or tips usually received (at
the main job in the case of multiple jobholders).  Prior to 1994, respondents
were asked how much they usually earned per week.  Since January 1994, respond-
ents have been asked to identify the easiest way for them to report earnings
(hourly, weekly, biweekly, twice monthly, monthly, annually, other) and how 
much they usually earn in the reported time period.  Earnings reported on a
basis other than weekly are converted to a weekly equivalent.  The term "usual"
is as perceived by the respondent.  If the respondent asks for a definition of
"usual", interviewers are instructed to define the term as more than half of 
the weeks worked during the past 4 or 5 months.

   Median earnings.  The median is the amount which divides a given earnings
distribution into two equal groups, one having earnings above the median and the
other having earnings below the median.  The estimating procedure places each
reported or calculated weekly earnings value into $50-wide intervals which are
centered around multiples of $50.  The actual value is estimated through the
linear interpolation of the interval in which the median lies.

   Wage and salary workers.  Workers who receive wages, salaries, commissions,
tips, payment in kind, or piece rates.  The group includes employees in both the
private and public sectors, but, for the purposes of the union membership and
earnings series, excludes all self-employed persons, regardless of whether or not
their businesses are incorporated.

   Full-time workers.  Workers who usually work 35 hours or more per week at their
sole or principal job.

   Part-time workers.  Workers who usually work fewer than 35 hours per week at
their sole or principal job.

   Hispanic or Latino ethnicity.  Refers to persons who identified themselves in
the enumeration process as being Spanish, Hispanic, or Latino.  Persons whose 
ethnicity is identified as Hispanic or Latino may be of any race.





     Table 1. Union affiliation of employed wage and salary workers by selected characteristics
     
     (Numbers in thousands)
                                                                                                                                             
                                                                                                                                             
                                                                                 2006                                      2007              
                                                                                                                                             
                                                                                                                                             
                                                                        Members       Represented                 Members       Represented  
                                                                           of        by unions (2)                   of        by unions (2) 
                        Characteristic                                 unions (1)                                unions (1)                  
                                                            Total                                     Total                                  
                                                           employed                                  employed                                
                                                                            Percent         Percent                   Percent         Percent
                                                                     Total     of    Total     of              Total     of    Total     of  
                                                                              em-             em-                       em-             em-  
                                                                             ployed          ployed                    ployed          ployed
                                                                                                                                             
                                                                                                                                             
                                                                                                                                             
                         AGE AND SEX                                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                             
       Total, 16 years and over..........................  128,237   15,359   12.0   16,860   13.1   129,767   15,670   12.1   17,243   13.3 
        16 to 24 years...................................   19,538      857    4.4      978    5.0    19,395      939    4.8    1,068    5.5 
        25 years and over................................  108,699   14,502   13.3   15,883   14.6   110,372   14,731   13.3   16,176   14.7 
         25 to 34 years..................................   28,805    2,899   10.1    3,195   11.1    29,409    3,050   10.4    3,358   11.4 
         35 to 44 years..................................   30,526    3,997   13.1    4,356   14.3    30,296    3,972   13.1    4,362   14.4 
         45 to 54 years..................................   29,401    4,710   16.0    5,131   17.5    29,731    4,664   15.7    5,087   17.1 
         55 to 64 years..................................   16,095    2,568   16.0    2,832   17.6    16,752    2,691   16.1    2,967   17.7 
         65 years and over...............................    3,872      328    8.5      370    9.5     4,183      355    8.5      402    9.6 
                                                                                                                                             
       Men, 16 years and over............................   66,811    8,657   13.0    9,360   14.0    67,468    8,767   13.0    9,494   14.1 
        16 to 24 years...................................   10,130      543    5.4      608    6.0     9,959      551    5.5      627    6.3 
        25 years and over................................   56,682    8,114   14.3    8,752   15.4    57,509    8,217   14.3    8,867   15.4 
         25 to 34 years..................................   15,677    1,650   10.5    1,793   11.4    15,994    1,736   10.9    1,884   11.8 
         35 to 44 years..................................   16,159    2,309   14.3    2,488   15.4    16,070    2,318   14.4    2,501   15.6 
         45 to 54 years..................................   14,867    2,617   17.6    2,807   18.9    15,040    2,578   17.1    2,745   18.3 
         55 to 64 years..................................    7,990    1,370   17.1    1,474   18.4     8,286    1,403   16.9    1,532   18.5 
         65 years and over...............................    1,989      167    8.4      190    9.6     2,119      181    8.5      205    9.7 
                                                                                                                                             
       Women, 16 years and over..........................   61,426    6,702   10.9    7,501   12.2    62,299    6,903   11.1    7,749   12.4 
        16 to 24 years...................................    9,408      315    3.3      370    3.9     9,436      388    4.1      441    4.7 
        25 years and over................................   52,018    6,388   12.3    7,131   13.7    52,863    6,514   12.3    7,308   13.8 
         25 to 34 years..................................   13,127    1,249    9.5    1,401   10.7    13,416    1,313    9.8    1,474   11.0 
         35 to 44 years..................................   14,368    1,687   11.7    1,867   13.0    14,226    1,653   11.6    1,861   13.1 
         45 to 54 years..................................   14,534    2,093   14.4    2,325   16.0    14,691    2,086   14.2    2,341   15.9 
         55 to 64 years..................................    8,106    1,198   14.8    1,358   16.8     8,466    1,288   15.2    1,435   17.0 
         65 years and over...............................    1,883      160    8.5      180    9.5     2,065      174    8.4      197    9.5 
                                                                                                                                             
         RACE, HISPANIC OR LATINO ETHNICITY, AND SEX                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                             
       White, 16 years and over..........................  104,668   12,259   11.7   13,424   12.8   105,515   12,487   11.8   13,715   13.0 
         Men.............................................   55,459    7,115   12.8    7,668   13.8    55,771    7,134   12.8    7,708   13.8 
         Women...........................................   49,209    5,144   10.5    5,756   11.7    49,743    5,352   10.8    6,007   12.1 
                                                                                                                                             
       Black or African American, 16 years and over......   14,878    2,163   14.5    2,391   16.1    15,177    2,165   14.3    2,403   15.8 
         Men.............................................    6,788    1,056   15.6    1,158   17.1     6,945    1,097   15.8    1,205   17.3 
         Women...........................................    8,090    1,107   13.7    1,233   15.2     8,232    1,067   13.0    1,198   14.6 
                                                                                                                                             
       Asian, 16 years and over..........................    5,703      592   10.4      657   11.5     6,016      654   10.9      720   12.0 
         Men.............................................    3,015      286    9.5      316   10.5     3,168      324   10.2      348   11.0 
         Women...........................................    2,688      306   11.4      340   12.7     2,849      330   11.6      372   13.1 
                                                                                                                                             
       Hispanic or Latino ethnicity, 16 years and                                                                                          
        over.............................................   18,121    1,770    9.8    1,935   10.7    18,778    1,837    9.8    2,026   10.8 
         Men.............................................   10,842    1,064    9.8    1,144   10.6    11,163    1,108    9.9    1,208   10.8 
         Women...........................................    7,279      706    9.7      791   10.9     7,615      728    9.6      818   10.7 
                                                                                                                                             
                FULL- OR PART-TIME STATUS (3)                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                             
       Full-time workers.................................  106,106   13,938   13.1   15,244   14.4   107,339   14,201   13.2   15,570   14.5 
       Part-time workers.................................   21,863    1,382    6.3    1,573    7.2    22,172    1,437    6.5    1,635    7.4 
     
        1 Data refer to members of a labor union or an employee association similar to a union.
        2 Data refer to members of a labor union or an employee association similar to a union as well as workers who report no union
     affiliation but whose jobs are covered by a union or an employee association contract.
        3 The distinction between full- and part-time workers is based on hours usually worked.  These data will not sum to totals because
     full- or part-time status on the principal job is not identifiable for a small number of multiple jobholders.
        NOTE:  Estimates for the above race groups (white, black or African American, and Asian) do not sum to totals because data are not
     presented for all races.  Persons whose ethnicity is identified as Hispanic or Latino may be of any race.  Data refer to the sole or
     principal job of full- and part-time wage and salary workers.  Excluded are all self-employed workers regardless of whether or not their
     businesses are incorporated.  Updated population controls are introduced annually with the release of January data.
     
     
     
     
     
          Table 2. Median weekly earnings of full-time wage and salary workers by union affiliation and selected characteristics
                                                                                                                                             
                                                                                                                                             
                                                                            2006                                        2007                 
                                                                                                                                             
                                                                                                                                             
                      Characteristic                             Members of   Repre-                         Members of   Repre-             
                                                         Total      unions    sented      Non-       Total      unions    sented      Non-   
                                                                     (1)     by unions    union                  (1)     by unions    union  
                                                                                (2)                                         (2)              
                                                                                                                                             
                                                                                                                                             
                                                                                                                                             
                       AGE AND SEX                                                                                                           
                                                                                                                                             
       Total, 16 years and over......................      $671       $833       $827       $642       $695       $863       $857       $663 
        16 to 24 years...............................       409        526        523        404        424        566        551        418 
        25 years and over............................       718        850        845        691        738        880        876        712 
         25 to 34 years..............................       621        773        766        606        643        789        781        622 
         35 to 44 years..............................       748        853        849        728        769        910        907        745 
         45 to 54 years..............................       773        888        884        750        790        900        899        763 
         55 to 64 years..............................       765        882        883        741        803        925        921        766 
         65 years and over...........................       583        675        667        573        605        634        682        597 
                                                                                                                                             
       Men, 16 years and over........................       743        887        885        717        766        913        910        738 
        16 to 24 years...............................       418        526        521        413        443        567        557        432 
        25 years and over............................       797        904        902        771        823        930        928        796 
         25 to 34 years..............................       661        831        822        640        687        823        819        664 
         35 to 44 years..............................       836        918        914        816        873        971        969        847 
         45 to 54 years..............................       897        936        939        883        909        958        961        892 
         55 to 64 years..............................       902        928        930        893        933        954        952        926 
         65 years and over...........................       658        650        653        659        686        732        776        672 
                                                                                                                                             
       Women, 16 years and over......................       600        758        753        579        614        790        784        592 
        16 to 24 years...............................       395        527        529        391        409        564        540        403 
        25 years and over............................       627        768        763        607        646        805        800        620 
         25 to 34 years..............................       583        727        716        565        597        753        745        580 
         35 to 44 years..............................       645        759        755        626        668        826        820        640 
         45 to 54 years..............................       659        807        798        628        677        813        810        650 
         55 to 64 years..............................       658        819        822        627        679        886        881        641 
         65 years and over...........................       510        690        678        495        534        582        608        520 
                                                                                                                                             
       RACE, HISPANIC OR LATINO ETHNICITY, AND SEX                                                                                           
                                                                                                                                             
       White, 16 years and over......................       690        859        854        659        716        889        884        684 
         Men.........................................       761        909        907        735        788        937        934        757 
         Women.......................................       609        777        772        588        626        814        807        603 
                                                                                                                                             
       Black or African American, 16 years and                                                                                             
        over.........................................       554        707        694        520        569        732        727        533 
         Men.........................................       591        745        734        557        600        768        763        573 
         Women.......................................       519        665        656        502        533        697        691        513 
                                                                                                                                             
       Asian, 16 years and over......................       784        834        840        774        830        853        881        823 
         Men.........................................       882        838        852        888        936        867        898        940 
         Women.......................................       699        828        824        681        731        842        871        712 
                                                                                                                                             
       Hispanic or Latino ethnicity, 16 years and                                                                                            
        over.........................................       486        686        681        469        503        736        729        487 
         Men.........................................       505        732        724        490        520        793        782        505 
         Women.......................................       440        607        614        420        473        675        672        446 
     
        1 Data refer to members of a labor union or an employee association similar to a union.
        2 Data refer to members of a labor union or an employee association similar to a union as well as workers who report no union
     affiliation but whose jobs are covered by a union or an employee association contract.
        NOTE:  Estimates for the above race groups (white, black or African American, and Asian) do not sum to totals because data are not
     presented for all races.  Persons whose ethnicity is identified as Hispanic or Latino may be of any race.  Data refer to the sole or
     principal job of full- time wage and salary workers.  Excluded are all self-employed workers regardless of whether or not their
     businesses are incorporated.  Updated population controls are introduced annually with the release of January data.
     
     
     
     
     
          Table 3. Union affiliation of employed wage and salary workers by occupation and industry
     
     (Numbers in thousands)
                                                                                                                                             
                                                                                                                                             
                                                                                 2006                                      2007              
                                                                                                                                             
                                                                                                                                             
                                                                        Members       Represented                 Members       Represented  
                                                                           of        by unions (2)                   of        by unions (2) 
                   Occupation and industry                             unions (1)                                unions (1)                  
                                                            Total                                     Total                                  
                                                           employed                                  employed                                
                                                                            Percent         Percent                   Percent         Percent
                                                                     Total     of    Total     of              Total     of    Total     of  
                                                                              em-             em-                       em-             em-  
                                                                             ployed          ployed                    ployed          ployed
                                                                                                                                             
                                                                                                                                             
                                                                                                                                             
                          OCCUPATION                                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                             
       Management, professional, and related                                                                                                 
        occupations......................................   43,105    5,522   12.8    6,288   14.6    44,547    5,853   13.1    6,656   14.9 
           Management, business, and financial operations                                                                                    
            occupations..................................   16,471      802    4.9      964    5.9    17,003      849    5.0    1,020    6.0 
               Management occupations....................   11,260      478    4.2      595    5.3    11,656      530    4.5      633    5.4 
               Business and financial operations                                                                                             
                occupations..............................    5,210      324    6.2      369    7.1     5,348      319    6.0      386    7.2 
           Professional and related occupations..........   26,635    4,721   17.7    5,324   20.0    27,543    5,004   18.2    5,636   20.5 
               Computer and mathematical occupations.....    3,069      133    4.3      172    5.6     3,252      157    4.8      188    5.8 
               Architecture and engineering occupations..    2,669      197    7.4      236    8.9     2,744      215    7.8      240    8.7 
               Life, physical, and social science                                                                                            
                occupations..............................    1,315      130    9.9      155   11.8     1,270      113    8.9      138   10.9 
               Community and social services                                                                                                 
                occupations..............................    2,099      327   15.6      356   17.0     2,187      326   14.9      375   17.1 
               Legal occupations.........................    1,282       68    5.3       73    5.7     1,288       71    5.5       83    6.4 
               Education, training, and library                                                                                              
                occupations..............................    7,888    2,942   37.3    3,287   41.7     8,288    3,087   37.2    3,439   41.5 
               Arts, design, entertainment, sports, and                                                                                      
                media occupations........................    1,930      124    6.4      140    7.2     1,955      152    7.8      182    9.3 
               Healthcare practitioner and technical                                                                                         
                occupations..............................    6,383      800   12.5      904   14.2     6,558      883   13.5      992   15.1 
       Service occupations...............................   21,569    2,460   11.4    2,658   12.3    21,784    2,481   11.4    2,692   12.4 
           Healthcare support occupations................    2,999      312   10.4      340   11.3     2,987      304   10.2      332   11.1 
           Protective service occupations................    2,919    1,012   34.7    1,067   36.6     3,025    1,066   35.2    1,127   37.2 
           Food preparation and serving related                                                                                              
            occupations..................................    7,478      321    4.3      353    4.7     7,500      325    4.3      371    4.9 
           Building and grounds cleaning and maintenance                                                                                     
            occupations..................................    4,703      507   10.8      561   11.9     4,642      497   10.7      549   11.8 
           Personal care and service occupations.........    3,471      307    8.9      337    9.7     3,631      289    8.0      314    8.6 
       Sales and office occupations......................   32,986    2,319    7.0    2,573    7.8    32,978    2,386    7.2    2,659    8.1 
           Sales and related occupations.................   13,883      430    3.1      489    3.5    14,079      462    3.3      521    3.7 
           Office and administrative support occupations.   19,103    1,889    9.9    2,084   10.9    18,900    1,925   10.2    2,138   11.3 
       Natural resources, construction, and maintenance                                                                                      
        occupations......................................   13,366    2,138   16.0    2,248   16.8    13,325    2,252   16.9    2,363   17.7 
           Farming, fishing, and forestry occupations....      880       31    3.5       33    3.7       876       23    2.7       28    3.2 
           Construction and extraction occupations.......    7,617    1,337   17.6    1,396   18.3     7,708    1,434   18.6    1,480   19.2 
           Installation, maintenance, and repair                                                                                             
            occupations..................................    4,870      771   15.8      820   16.8     4,742      794   16.8      855   18.0 
       Production, transportation, and material moving                                                                                       
        occupations......................................   17,211    2,920   17.0    3,094   18.0    17,133    2,699   15.8    2,874   16.8 
           Production occupations........................    8,964    1,392   15.5    1,468   16.4     8,903    1,243   14.0    1,314   14.8 
           Transportation and material moving                                                                                                
            occupations..................................    8,247    1,528   18.5    1,626   19.7     8,231    1,456   17.7    1,560   19.0 
                                                                                                                                             
                                                                                                                                             
                           INDUSTRY                                                                                                          
                                                                                                                                             
       Private sector....................................  107,846    7,981    7.4    8,688    8.1   108,714    8,114    7.5    8,870    8.2 
       Agriculture and related industries................    1,059       25    2.3       27    2.6     1,046       16    1.5       19    1.8 
       Nonagriculture and related industries.............  106,786    7,957    7.5    8,660    8.1   107,668    8,098    7.5    8,851    8.2 
          Mining.........................................      632       48    7.5       56    8.8       705       66    9.3       72   10.2 
          Construction...................................    8,444    1,097   13.0    1,146   13.6     8,561    1,193   13.9    1,232   14.4 
          Manufacturing..................................   15,643    1,827   11.7    1,949   12.5    15,341    1,734   11.3    1,845   12.0 
              Durable goods .............................   10,072    1,190   11.8    1,263   12.5     9,770    1,107   11.3    1,172   12.0 
              Nondurable goods ..........................    5,571      637   11.4      686   12.3     5,571      628   11.3      673   12.1 
          Wholesale and retail trade.....................   19,245      957    5.0    1,023    5.3    18,896      990    5.2    1,075    5.7 
              Wholesale trade............................    4,100      201    4.9      215    5.2     3,951      205    5.2      224    5.7 
              Retail trade...............................   15,145      756    5.0      808    5.3    14,945      785    5.3      851    5.7 
          Transportation and utilities...................    5,299    1,227   23.2    1,287   24.3     5,488    1,211   22.1    1,282   23.4 
              Transportation and warehousing.............    4,459      991   22.2    1,042   23.4     4,654      974   20.9    1,037   22.3 
              Utilities..................................      840      237   28.2      245   29.1       834      237   28.4      245   29.4 
          Information (3)................................    3,105      372   12.0      404   13.0     3,211      389   12.1      420   13.1 
              Publishing, except internet................      833       58    7.0       63    7.5       850       62    7.3       65    7.7 
              Motion pictures and sound recording........      296       30   10.3       32   10.6       309       35   11.5       39   12.5 
              Broadcasting, except internet..............      522       31    5.9       40    7.6       588       51    8.7       62   10.6 
              Telecommunications.........................    1,183      245   20.7      261   22.1     1,186      233   19.7      246   20.8 
          Financial activities...........................    8,841      168    1.9      206    2.3     8,858      174    2.0      215    2.4 
              Finance and insurance......................    6,503       92    1.4      123    1.9     6,531       99    1.5      129    2.0 
                   Finance...............................    4,308       52    1.2       73    1.7     4,313       55    1.3       76    1.8 
                   Insurance.............................    2,195       40    1.8       50    2.3     2,218       45    2.0       53    2.4 
              Real estate and rental and leasing.........    2,338       77    3.3       82    3.5     2,327       74    3.2       86    3.7 
          Professional and business services.............   11,398      274    2.4      329    2.9    12,022      290    2.4      360    3.0 
              Professional and technical services........    6,601       90    1.4      116    1.8     6,962       98    1.4      147    2.1 
              Management, administrative, and waste                                                                                          
               services..................................    4,798      184    3.8      213    4.4     5,060      191    3.8      213    4.2 
          Education and health services..................   17,853    1,483    8.3    1,694    9.5    18,120    1,591    8.8    1,815   10.0 
              Educational services.......................    3,540      478   13.5      562   15.9     3,513      444   12.6      529   15.1 
              Health care and social assistance..........   14,313    1,005    7.0    1,132    7.9    14,607    1,147    7.9    1,286    8.8 
          Leisure and hospitality........................   10,638      326    3.1      370    3.5    10,956      302    2.8      354    3.2 
              Arts, entertainment, and recreation........    1,781      112    6.3      126    7.1     1,966      122    6.2      138    7.0 
              Accommodation and food services............    8,857      214    2.4      244    2.8     8,990      180    2.0      217    2.4 
                  Accommodation..........................    1,422      131    9.2      141    9.9     1,414      109    7.7      123    8.7 
                  Food services and drinking places......    7,436       83    1.1      103    1.4     7,575       70     .9       94    1.2 
          Other services (3).............................    5,689      177    3.1      198    3.5     5,510      159    2.9      181    3.3 
              Other services, except private households..    4,873      172    3.5      191    3.9     4,727      150    3.2      172    3.6 
                                                                                                                                             
       Public sector.....................................   20,392    7,378   36.2    8,172   40.1    21,053    7,557   35.9    8,373   39.8 
         Federal government..............................    3,381      960   28.4    1,139   33.7     3,423      916   26.8    1,079   31.5 
         State government................................    6,102    1,843   30.2    2,049   33.6     6,384    1,943   30.4    2,168   34.0 
         Local government................................   10,908    4,575   41.9    4,984   45.7    11,246    4,698   41.8    5,126   45.6 
     
        1 Data refer to members of a labor union or an employee association similar to a union.
        2 Data refer to members of a labor union or an employee association similar to a union as well as workers who report no union
     affiliation but whose jobs are covered by a union or an employee association contract.
        3 Includes other industries, not shown separately.
        NOTE:  Data refer to the sole or principal job of full- and part-time wage and salary workers.  Excluded are all self-employed
     workers regardless of whether or not their businesses are incorporated.  Updated population controls are introduced annually with the
     release of January data.
     
     
     
     
     
          Table 4. Median weekly earnings of full-time wage and salary workers by union affiliation, occupation, and industry
                                                                                                                                               
                                                                                                                                               
                                                                            2006                                        2007                   
                                                                                                                                               
                                                                                                                                               
                  Occupation and industry                          Members of   Repre-                         Members of   Repre-             
                                                           Total      unions    sented      Non-       Total      unions    sented      Non-   
                                                                       (1)     by unions    union                  (1)     by unions    union  
                                                                                  (2)                                         (2)              
                                                                                                                                               
                                                                                                                                               
                                                                                                                                               
                         OCCUPATION                                                                                                            
                                                                                                                                               
       Management, professional, and related                                                                                                   
        occupations......................................     $967       $966       $962       $968       $996       $996       $992       $996
           Management, business, and financial operations                                                                                      
            occupations..................................    1,045      1,042      1,060      1,044      1,080      1,066      1,072      1,081
               Management occupations....................    1,127      1,144      1,154      1,125      1,161      1,172      1,165      1,160
               Business and financial operations                                                                                               
                occupations..............................      930        950        947        928        941        934        950        940
           Professional and related occupations..........      928        956        948        921        951        987        980        942
               Computer and mathematical occupations.....    1,166      1,057      1,103      1,170      1,229      1,188      1,204      1,231
               Architecture and engineering occupations..    1,155      1,148      1,157      1,155      1,213      1,179      1,178      1,221
               Life, physical, and social science                                                                                              
                occupations..............................      984      1,114      1,086        977      1,053      1,147      1,144      1,036
               Community and social services occupations.      740        886        872        707        755        920        909        732
               Legal occupations.........................    1,144      1,422      1,415      1,136      1,148      1,180      1,151      1,148
               Education, training, and library                                                                                                
                occupations..............................      819        929        917        725        841        959        947        742
               Arts, design, entertainment, sports, and                                                                                        
                media occupations........................      841        968        964        823        829      1,000      1,009        807
               Healthcare practitioner and technical                                                                                           
                occupations..............................      905        995        979        889        920      1,005      1,019        906
       Service occupations...............................      422        638        629        404        454        666        654        421
           Healthcare support occupations................      423        484        481        417        454        502        502        446
           Protective service occupations................      693        918        913        585        719        954        946        610
           Food preparation and serving related                                                                                                
            occupations..................................      371        484        482        366        385        502        495        379
           Building and grounds cleaning and maintenance                                                                                       
            occupations..................................      406        524        520        393        422        551        543        407
           Personal care and service occupations.........      407        530        529        397        434        585        585        420
       Sales and office occupations......................      589        706        697        578        598        717        715        587
           Sales and related occupations.................      628        671        656        627        643        648        648        643
           Office and administrative support occupations.      572        713        705        549        581        726        724        560
       Natural resources, construction, and maintenance                                                                                        
        occupations......................................      653        934        925        608        670        973        961        617
           Farming, fishing, and forestry  occupations...      387       (3)        (3)         383        372       (3)        (3)         369
           Construction and extraction occupations.......      619        941        933        582        646        976        968        597
           Installation, maintenance, and repair                                                                                               
            occupations..................................      742        931        922        709        749        975        962        709
       Production, transportation, and material moving                                                                                         
        occupations......................................      557        741        733        519        577        759        753        540
           Production occupations........................      559        730        723        525        581        761        755        552
           Transportation and material moving          ..                                                                                      
            occupations..................................      556        752        743        512        570        757        750        523
                                                                                                                                               
                                                                                                                                               
                          INDUSTRY                                                                                                             
                                                                                                                                               
       Private sector....................................      $645      $792       $785       $631       $666       $818       $813       $651
       Agriculture and related industries................       422      (3)        (3)         420        412       (3)        (3)         411
       Nonagriculture and related industries.............       648       793        786        634        670        819        814        654
          Mining.........................................       912      (3)       1,044        899        969        960        950        975
          Construction...................................       642       969        956        610        673      1,000        993        624
          Manufacturing..................................       702       755        753        692        719        783        779        708
              Durable goods .............................       729       785        780        719        744        818        815        732
              Nondurable goods ..........................       650       694        697        640        669        714        712        659
          Wholesale and retail trade.....................       578       637        632        575        587        639        632        584
              Wholesale trade............................       725       780        778        720        720        756        753        717
              Retail trade...............................       520       583        582        518        538        608        601        532
          Transportation and utilities...................       739       876        876        697        738        902        894        695
              Transportation and warehousing.............       700       831        828        661        696        846        835        657
              Utilities..................................       978     1,041      1,051        939        994      1,056      1,052        954
          Information (4)................................       871       998        990        841        891      1,000        994        867
              Publishing, except internet................       848      (3)         950        830        881        931        933        877
              Motion pictures and sound recording........       813      (3)        (3)         748        889       (3)        (3)         797
              Broadcasting, except internet..............       737      (3)        (3)         722        786       (3)       1,010        770
              Telecommunications.........................       947       986        982        928        951      1,003      1,000        927
          Financial activities...........................       757       674        691        759        782        728        738        784
              Finance and insurance......................       794       657        674        799        820        722        746        822
                   Finance...............................       811      (3)         673        817        835        717        773        836
                   Insurance.............................       767      (3)        (3)         769        795       (3)         735        799
              Real estate and rental and leasing.........       663       701        700        660        691        739        718        690
          Professional and business services.............       749       744        752        749        783        800        822        782
              Professional and technical services........       996       940        966        996      1,031        991      1,041      1,031
              Management, administrative, and waste                                                                                            
              services...................................       504       653        643        499        524        733        686        519
          Education and health services..................       648       751        745        635        671        779        781        657
              Educational services.......................       750       816        806        737        766        824        812        754
              Health care and social assistance..........       620       703        700        614        644        752        762        632
          Leisure and hospitality........................       417       538        533        412        440        580        572        431
              Arts, entertainment, and recreation........       545       617        604        537        587        633        634        581
              Accommodation and food services............       399       515        515        395        413        534        528        410
                  Accommodation..........................       490       567        570        481        492        554        546        481
                  Food services and drinking places......       382       480        481        381        399        476        490        398
          Other services (4).............................       568       816        794        550        581        803        789        574
              Other services, except private households..       597       824        800        588        600        822        806        593
                                                                                                                                               
       Public sector.....................................       773       871        865        717        816        901        896        749
         Federal government..............................       919       896        900        938        965        927        933        996
         State government................................       746       835        824        699        772        865        856        731
         Local government................................       754       876        868        656        787        907        899        688
     
        1 Data refer to members of a labor union or an employee association similar to a union.
        2 Data refer to members of a labor union or an employee association similar to a union as well as workers who report no union
     affiliation but whose jobs are covered by a union or an employee association contract.
        3 Data not shown where base is less than 50,000.
        4 Includes other industries, not shown separately.
        NOTE:  Data refer to the sole or principal job of full-time wage and salary workers.  Excluded are all self-employed workers regardless
     of whether or not their businesses are incorporated.  Updated population controls are introduced annually with the release of January
     data.
     
     
     
     
     
          Table 5. Union affiliation of employed wage and salary workers by state
     
     (Numbers in thousands)
                                                                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                         
                                                                            2006                                      2007               
                                                                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                         
                                                                   Members of     Represented                Members of     Represented  
                                                                   unions (1)     by unions (2)              unions (1)     by unions (2)
                          State                                                                                                          
                                                        Total                                     Total                                  
                                                       employed         Percent         Percent  employed         Percent         Percent
                                                                 Total     of    Total     of              Total     of    Total     of  
                                                                          em-             em-                       em-             em-  
                                                                         ployed          ployed                    ployed          ployed
                                                                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                         
     Alabama.........................................    1,930      170     8.8     194    10.0    1,895      180     9.5     201    10.6
     Alaska..........................................      280       62    22.2      67    23.8      284       68    23.8      70    24.7
     Arizona.........................................    2,584      197     7.6     250     9.7    2,619      230     8.8     255     9.7
     Arkansas........................................    1,130       58     5.1      67     6.0    1,154       62     5.4      75     6.5
     California......................................   14,501    2,273    15.7   2,444    16.9   14,856    2,474    16.7   2,650    17.8
     Colorado........................................    2,154      165     7.7     186     8.6    2,204      191     8.7     202     9.2
     Connecticut.....................................    1,591      247    15.6     263    16.5    1,617      253    15.6     269    16.6
     Delaware........................................      396       43    10.8      45    11.4      396       47    12.0      50    12.8
     District of Columbia............................      246       25    10.3      30    12.2      278       29    10.3      38    13.6
     Florida.........................................    7,676      397     5.2     497     6.5    7,741      455     5.9     562     7.3
                                                                                                                                         
     Georgia.........................................    3,974      176     4.4     230     5.8    4,181      186     4.4     226     5.4
     Hawaii..........................................      562      139    24.7     146    25.9      556      130    23.4     135    24.2
     Idaho...........................................      620       37     6.0      45     7.2      635       33     5.3      41     6.4
     Illinois........................................    5,684      931    16.4     979    17.2    5,802      842    14.5     884    15.2
     Indiana.........................................    2,787      334    12.0     362    13.0    2,779      333    12.0     359    12.9
     Iowa............................................    1,424      161    11.3     199    14.0    1,417      149    10.5     185    13.1
     Kansas..........................................    1,236       99     8.0     115     9.3    1,274       89     7.0     110     8.7
     Kentucky........................................    1,752      172     9.8     196    11.2    1,734      157     9.1     192    11.1
     Louisiana.......................................    1,676      107     6.4     121     7.2    1,670       94     5.6     108     6.5
     Maine...........................................      584       69    11.9      79    13.5      574       67    11.7      79    13.8
                                                                                                                                         
     Maryland........................................    2,614      342    13.1     386    14.8    2,598      335    12.9     376    14.5
     Massachusetts...................................    2,859      414    14.5     438    15.3    2,882      379    13.2     402    14.0
     Michigan........................................    4,299      842    19.6     879    20.4    4,193      819    19.5     865    20.6
     Minnesota.......................................    2,479      395    16.0     416    16.8    2,460      400    16.3     419    17.0
     Mississippi.....................................    1,065       60     5.6      78     7.3    1,068       72     6.7      95     8.9
     Missouri........................................    2,610      284    10.9     310    11.9    2,585      275    10.7     308    11.9
     Montana.........................................      397       48    12.2      52    13.1      399       54    13.5      62    15.6
     Nebraska........................................      831       66     7.9      79     9.5      836       65     7.8      81     9.7
     Nevada..........................................    1,124      167    14.8     191    17.0    1,177      182    15.4     208    17.7
     New Hampshire...................................      620       63    10.1      70    11.3      631       61     9.7      70    11.2
                                                                                                                                         
     New Jersey......................................    3,827      770    20.1     825    21.6    3,897      748    19.2     802    20.6
     New Mexico......................................      796       62     7.8      92    11.5      800       62     7.7      91    11.4
     New York........................................    8,115    1,981    24.4   2,060    25.4    8,150    2,055    25.2   2,146    26.3
     North Carolina..................................    3,810      126     3.3     155     4.1    3,771      114     3.0     147     3.9
     North Dakota....................................      300       20     6.8      24     8.0      303       19     6.4      23     7.6
     Ohio............................................    5,170      734    14.2     801    15.5    5,187      730    14.1     797    15.4
     Oklahoma........................................    1,453       93     6.4     112     7.7    1,456      103     7.1     124     8.5
     Oregon..........................................    1,527      211    13.8     225    14.7    1,582      227    14.3     243    15.4
     Pennsylvania....................................    5,457      745    13.6     802    14.7    5,496      830    15.1     910    16.6
     Rhode Island....................................      498       76    15.3      79    16.0      497       75    15.0      78    15.8
                                                                                                                                         
     South Carolina..................................    1,775       59     3.3      74     4.2    1,873       78     4.1     111     5.9
     South Dakota....................................      351       21     5.9      25     7.2      354       23     6.5      27     7.7
     Tennessee.......................................    2,550      153     6.0     174     6.8    2,596      138     5.3     166     6.4
     Texas...........................................    9,751      476     4.9     576     5.9    9,899      463     4.7     566     5.7
     Utah............................................    1,121       61     5.4      69     6.1    1,153       67     5.8      78     6.8
     Vermont.........................................      305       34    11.0      39    12.9      288       30    10.4      35    12.2
     Virginia........................................    3,446      139     4.0     179     5.2    3,502      129     3.7     167     4.8
     Washington......................................    2,772      549    19.8     583    21.0    2,874      579    20.2     616    21.4
     West Virginia...................................      710      101    14.2     110    15.5      724       97    13.3     107    14.7
     Wisconsin.......................................    2,587      386    14.9     415    16.1    2,631      376    14.3     405    15.4
     Wyoming.........................................      235       19     8.3      24    10.0      239       19     7.9      22     9.4
     
        1 Data refer to members of a labor union or an employee association similar to a union.
        2 Data refer to members of a labor union or an employee association similar to a union as well as workers who report no union
     affiliation but whose jobs are covered by a union or an employee association contract.
        NOTE:  Data refer to the sole or principal job of full- and part-time wage and salary workers.  Excluded are all self-employed
     workers regardless of whether or not their businesses are incorporated.  Updated population controls are introduced annually with
     the release of January data.